Review: 'Fight Or Flight' Soars With Josh Hartnett

HOLLYWOOD, CA — “Fight or Flight,” James Madigan’s directorial debut, arrives with a high-concept story, bursting onto the cinematic screen with a two-minute eye-popping opening salvo of plane violence, a cursory view of the sheer pandemonium to come at 30,000 feet.

Moments later, the new action thriller, starring Josh Hartnett in his latest comeback film, pivots to the events that transpired 12 hours prior. As it turns out, a shady government agency is tracking an elusive, most-wanted cyber-terrorist known only as The Ghost. Who do they call to apprehend the asset?

It is none other than Lucas Reyes (Hartnett), a former government operative, who has been hiding for the past couple of years in Thailand after his last mission went wrong. Black-ops agent Katherine Brunt (Katee Sackhoff), Reyes’ old flame, recruits the marred mercenary for the dangerous mission, adding that it could ultimately pave a way for his path to redemption.

Not so fast! Reyes is now in a quandary, considering his inebriated state. He apparently has devolved into a drunkard. After further talks with Brunt, he begrudgingly boards a plane bound for San Francisco from Bangkok. Why? The Ghost is aboard this flight.

His seatmate, a loquacious man, is already giving Reyes bad vibes. Indeed, he is not who he seems to be. In time, our hero will also discover that several assassins are on the plane, all set to claim an astronomical bounty on The Ghost. Luckily, Reyes manages to forge an alliance with flight attendant Isha (Charithra Chandran) and her flying partner, Royce (Danny Ashok). Together, the trio of newfound friends must find and protect the asset at all costs. Will they prevail in the wake of a tumultuous melee?

Hartnett — the actor with an enviable career resurgence with 2023’s “Oppenheimer” and 2024’s “Trap”— makes the movie all the better. Undeniably, he is on fire as he unleashes the fervor of a self-destructive mercenary on the hunt. His facial expressions, punctuated by his seemingly rictus grin, can easily propel audiences to the blazing trail of menace in the sky. Meanwhile, his flair for physical comedy never falters, bringing unrelenting gusto along the way.

By any measure, Madigan’s new B-movie is not perfect. It is an ambitious undertaking with a modest budget, produced by the same company that made “John Wick.” While “Fight or Flight” evokes the kinetic and emotional thrills of the “Wick” films, the former lacks the latter’s astounding verve, clever tonal shifts and wildly imaginative choreography.

Nevertheless, despite its shortcomings, “Fight or Flight” ultimately soars with its unbridled laughter and rapturous fun. Fasten your seatbelts, everyone! It is going to be a bumpy-yet-thrilling 102-minute flight.